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Thursday, 16 February 2012

Pond progress pictures, part 2

First thoughts on waking: "ouch" as more than a couple of muscles informed me that yesterday was hard work, followed by "what's the weather like?". Trepidation overnight in case the wind got up and moved the blue tarps. Whilst they don't matter I didn't want to have to refit all the black underlay. Thankfully the first problem was under control after some stretching and the second problem wasn't a problem.

As a couple of pheasant flew in for breakfast the look on their faces was priceless as they found themselves next to a sea of blue plastic. You could see them thinking "what's THAT?"

First task, get the pond liner in place. That's a real fun job single-handed {not} but as Management is fond of saying "you shouldn't have joined if you can't take a joke". I wasn't looking forward to this bit and unwrapping a liner 7.5m x 5.5m on my own was probably the trickiest bit of the whole operation. Determined Hobbits usually succeed in their garden endeavours and all of a sudden, things looked rather good.

Happily the laws of gravity apply and I was able to drain 1,000 litres from the tank next to the greenhouse directly into the pond.

That looks better! Sadly, two IBC tanks of water were not going to fill this. In a perfect world we would fill this with rain water but after much debate-with-self I figured we have to take the hit on the water bill and run a hose into it.

By 4.00 when rain stopped play it was all looking rather different from 24 hours earlier.

(complete with temporary escape ramps in case of swimming hedgehogs)

Yesterday I unearthed an old pond pump from the shed. Fitted a plug after supper and had a little test in the sink:

Worked first time which is pretty amazing for a pump that hasn't been used for at least 14 years and was purchased nearly 17 years ago.

Although the full IBC tank next to the greenhouse drained directly into the pond, the tank nearer the Cottage Garden is too low. I need use the pump to shift the lower water to the higher tank. Working out how to do so requires mental agility of Health Robinson-esque proportions and I'm going to leave that fun and games to Management at the weekend - he's good at stuff like that.

16 comments:

I'd say its starting to look like a real pond out there. We had some wonderful rain today, 3 inches worth. That surely would have helped you out. But we need it badly to help replinish ground water. We're still way low.

Sue, it has been so mild this winter I'm not convinced the hedgehogs will have hibernated properly. As for getting me out - if I had fallen in I'd have needed more than a little ramp, it would have been instant hypothermia yesterday - that water is colder than it looks!.

No plans for fish (they eat all the tadpoles and dragonfly larvae), want it to be fairly natural.

Well done, Hobbit! Your industry seems boundless and I envy your energy. I, too, would have accepted the hit on the water bill just to get it filled now! *heh* I kept fish in my pond to eat all the mosquitoes. There were always dragonflies about, but never investigated if there were any nymphs. What luck that the pump still goes gangbusters after all this time. Seems time for a bit of a sit down and a biscuit to celebrate?

Those who dance to a different tune are thought mad by the ones who cannot hear the music . . .

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